ONLY less than 50 percent of the 13,000 target students in Mandaue City have received their immunization shots, weeks before the scheduled end of the vaccination period.
The vaccination program, Bakuna-Eskwela, was launched on Oct. 7, 2024, aiming to immunize 5,813 Grade 7 students and 5,378 Grade 1 students with Measles-Rubella (MR) and Tetanus-Diphtheria (TD) vaccines, while 2,733 female students from Grade 4 are also set to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
The Mandaue City Health Office (MCHO) is citing the reluctance of some parents to have their children vaccinated as one of the reasons for the low turnout in vaccinations so far.
MCHO head Debra Catulong, in a press briefing on Thursday, Oct. 17, said the program seeks to protect children from diseases such as measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and HPV.
However, some parents’ refusal to have their children vaccinated remains a challenge.
“Some parents refuse the vaccines out of fear that there could be negative effects on their children, but we assure them that these vaccines are safe and effective,” Catulong said.
Catulong said the school-based immunization campaign had been suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic due to mobility restrictions, leading to delays and backlogs in the government’s vaccination efforts.
She said this resumption aims to address the missed opportunities for immunization over the past few years.
Catulong appealed to parents and guardians to support the program to safeguard the students’ health and reduce their vulnerability to preventable diseases.
The Bakuna-Eskwela will continue in all the city’s public schools until the end of November, with health officials urging families to participate and have their children complete their required vaccinations.
“We want to reach as many children as possible, but we can only succeed if parents support us,” said Catulong.
Catulong said the Department of Health (DOH) identified students from Grades 1, 4, and 7 as the focus for the program, considering these age groups are more susceptible to these illnesses.
Catulong said the importance of the program in creating healthy learning environments and preventing outbreaks in schools.
“We are working closely with DepEd to educate parents on the importance of immunization,” she said.
The vaccination campaign, which will run until November, is a joint effort of the DOH and the Department of Education (DepEd). / CAV